Honey extractor



Nov. 27, 1945. w. T. KELLEY HONEY EXTRACTOR Filed June 23, 1944 Patented Nov. 27, 1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HONEY EXTRACTOR Walter T. Kelley, Paducah, Ky. I Application June 23, 1944, Serial No. 541,841 L (01. 210-65) 1 Claim.

This invention relates generally to the class of extractors and pertains particularly to an improved and novel form of device for extracting honey from honey combs.

The device of the present invention depends for its operation upon the effect of centrifugal force. The use of centrifugal extractors for removing honey from honey-combs is not in itself new as many devices are employed which make use of centrifugal force to produce such results. However, in all present known devices more or less complicated structures are employed, using double receptacles and various arrangements of gears, crankshafts and cranks, all of which makes for a costly construction and in addition a construction which is necessarily heavy and not easily moved about and which requires considerable time and work to keep clean.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a device for extracting honey from honey-combs which is of simple design and is operated by moving in a circle the upper end of v a standard or shaft, the lower end of which is pivotally supported so as to have free rotation, the structure being entirely free of gears, cranks or other mechanical elements of a corresponding nature and employing only a single receptacle in which the combs are placed and in which the extracted honey is received from the combs.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confined to a strict conformity with the showing of the drawing but may be changed or modified so long as such changes or modifications mark no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the app nded claim.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in top plan of the device of the present invention showing the receptacle in the position which it will assume with respect to the standard, when the receptacle is being rotated and also showing in broken lines the approximate circular path followed by the upper end of the standard during the use of the device.

Figure 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of the structure as shown in Figure 1, showing in broken lines the tilted position for the standard and the corresponding outwardly swung position of the receptacle.

Referring now more particularly to the drawing it will be noticed that the device of the present invention comprises essentially two units A and B. The unit A comprises a standard or shaft ll) of suitable height, upon the upper end of whichv is swivelly coupled the handle or knob ll while the lower end is tapered or pointed as indicated at l2 to be positioned for rotation in a suitable socket l3 which may be formed in a block l4 designed for attachment to the floor IE or any other suitable support or which may be merely placed in any convenient socket, opening or the like in a floor or in the ground.

The unit B comprises a relatively long receptacle i8 having the vertical back wall I! which merges with the narrow side walls l8 which in turn merge with the forwardly converging front walls Ill. The receptacle has the solid bottom wall 20 and is open at its top as shown in Figure 1.

The front walls [9 at their convergent edges form a channel or trough 2| which facilitates the pouring out from the receptacle of the honey extracted therein.

Disposed vertically within the receptacle in spaced parallel relation with the back wall I! and in the vertical transverse plane of the forward edges of the side walls I8, is a screen unit 22 which is supported at its lower end upon the floor 23 which is positioned in the lower part of the receptacle above the bottom wall 20 and between the side walls l8. This floor is joined to the back wall I! as shown.

The space or area between the floor 23 and the bottom wall 20 of the receptacle provides a tank or receiver, indicated at 24, into which the honey flows as it is extracted from the combs 25 which are introduced into the comb chamber 26 which is formed by the walls I! and l 8 with th screen wall 22 and the floor 23.

Adjacent the top and the bottom of the receptacle I 6 are secured the straps 21. The ends of these straps are attached in any suitable manner to the walls l8 and I 9 so as to form loops across the back of the receptacle, through which the standard l0 passes. These loops are secured centrally of their ends, to the standard I!) as indicated at 28.

In the use of the extractor device the comb chamber 26 is filled as shown and the operator, holding the knob or handle H with the tapered lower end of the standard in a suitable socket to prevent it from slipping, then inclines the standard and imparts a rotary motion to the upper end thereof, the standard being inclined to a degree to move the upper end approximately 12" from the vertical so that the upper end of the standard will be moved through a circle of about 24" in diameter.

The combs, having been previously uncapped, will have the honey extracted therefrom by centrifugal action, the honey passing through the screen 22 and into the tank or receptacle 24. After the combs have been emptied upon one side they are then reversed in the comb chamber and the receptacle is again swung in the manner described until the" other sides of the combs have been emptied. The extracted honey may then be removed by pouring it out from the receptacle along the channel 2| formed by the convergent front walls l9.

In order to suitably strengthen the screen frame at the top edge, a brace member 29' risecured between the frame and the front walls at the convergent edges of the latter.

The straps 21 are formed of strap steel'of suitable weight and are. rivetedor otherwisesuitably secured to the side walls of the receptacle.

While the device may be madeinany suitable size it has been found that it ismost conveniently operated by having the receptacle approximately 12 wide with the comb-chamber about2 deep setting forth the size of the. device which has been found to givethe best results and to be most conveniently handled.

From the foregoing it will be readily seen that in the present device considerable centrifugal force may be developed to'effect the complete extraction of honey from the combs, without the use of gears; cranks or other similar means for rotating the comb carrying basket. Also with the deviceoi' the present invention re- Ingiv-- sults are obtained which are fully as satisfactory as those obtained from the use of devices having stationary receptacle with inside revolving screen receptacles and in addition the present device can be produced and sold at a considerably lower figure than the other more complicated devices.

While the drawing illustrates pound section boxes of combs. in the receptacle,.it is to be understood that the receptacle is not designed to be used exclusively with this size comb but may also be and preferably is designed to take the larger frames which approximates 9%" x 17 /2" in size.

I claim:

A device for centrifugally extracting honey from combs; comprising a shaft having means at one end by which it may be grasped in the hand for the swinging of the upper end around the center ofthe lower end of the shaft resting upon a suitable support, a relatively long receptacle disposed longitudinally of the shaft, means connecting the receptacle with the shaft-for main-- taining the receptacle spaced outwardly therefrom, saidreceptacle comprising a vertical wall disposed adjacent to the shaft, relatively narrow side walls extending outwardly from the longitudinal edges ofv the first wall and two' convergently related front wall sections extending from the side walls andjoinedtogether to form a V'- shaped channel extending longitudinally of the receptacle, the receptacle having a bottom wall connected with. the other walls, and means for maintaining a' plurality of honeycombs one above the other on edge within the receptacle between the narrow side walls, comprising a foraminous wall extending from the top ofthe receptacle longitudinally therethrough to and terminating short of thebottom wall and connected between WALTER I. KELLEY. 

